5 Things Jesus Did Not Say
We are living in dangerous times, both physically and spiritually. There are so many preachers and high-profile individuals who have enormous influence over the masses who will say things like, “Be true to yourself,” or “follow your heart.” Those statements sound so innocent and perfectly harmless, but they are full of deceit and wickedness when we compare them to the bible. I recently saw something on Facebook that inspired this Hope Note…5 Things Jesus Did NOT Say.
Jesus did NOT say “Follow your heart.” Your heart is a symbol of love and it is an emotional dipstick of your happiness…said Jesus never! Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things.” When we follow our heart, we are seeing things through rose-colored glasses; it distorts reality with emotion, which is a dangerous roller coaster. Jesus said, “Follow Me.” We may not have GPS coordinates when we follow Him, but there will always be clarity and road-side assistance.
Jesus did NOT say “Be true to yourself.” The world would have you believe that being true to yourself gives you the opportunity to become something you’re not, or trusting yourself and no one else. But Jesus said, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow Me.” Matthew 16:24. The bible says we can’t worship two gods, or worship idols. When we are “true to ourselves” we are essentially lifting ourselves higher than God, believing that we are in complete control and have all the answers.
Jesus did NOT say “Believe in yourself.” It’s good to love yourself and to have a positive self-image, but if we fall into the trap of believing that we got that way on our own, we’re in trouble. Jesus said, “Believe in Me.” John 14:1. I looked up synonyms for ‘believe’ and found ‘trust’ and ‘accept.’ Trusting God and accepting His will relinquishes my control yet releases me from the stress of my life’s mess.
Jesus did NOT say “Live your truth.” Our society has totally gotten on the band wagon with this one! It’s all about “how you feel,” or “whatever works for you.” So, my truth can be different than your truth and it’s all okay, as long as everyone’s happy. But look where we are…celebrating what was once condemned and condemning what was once celebrated. Jesus said, “I am the way and the TRUTH and the life.” There is only ONE truth and that is the Living Word of God. We can attempt to justify our sin however we want, but the TRUTH will prevail. Which leads into #5…
Jesus did NOT say “As long as you are happy.” What He did say was “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” Mark 8:36. Happiness is not dictated by what we have or who we know. When we follow this path, we are selling out for worldly pleasure and treasure, forfeiting our true purpose and destiny. True happiness is joy in the Lord; it is knowing that, even in the storms of life, we have hope and a future when we remain in Him, eyes fixed on Jesus, trusting that His truth with guide our path all the days of our lives.